Mirror, Mirror
by yujuh7
Summary: AU. In the University of Burgess, a new psychology teacher Kozmotis Pitchiner meets a student who mirrors him in the most twisted and dark way. PitchxOC. Please R&R!
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

Hello hello! First, thank you for picking this story to read. I hope you like it. I have seen the movie and read all of the three books. I will try my best to include many characters as I can, but so far it looks really difficult to do put them all in.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians and the picture of Dr. Crane

* * *

Appetizer (just because I didn't want to say prologue)

_"What? No, Tina, please! I don't like being pulled like this, especially like this! Tina!"_

_The doors burst open. The man sitting at the desk tore his eyes away from the papers and looked ahead. Two students stood at the door frame. One was pulling the other by her arm, like dragging a reluctant dog into the cage. The other tugged her arm away and muttered, "I can walk perfectly by myself you know." The door slung shut. The girl that was pulling the other girl looked straight into the man's eyes and said, "Professor Pitchiner, you also do counseling, right?" The man gave a warm smile and replied with velvet voice, "Why, yes I do Miss. Thiania. How may I help you?" The girl blushed slightly and pointed at the other girl, who was now rubbing her wrist, "She needs your help." The other girl shot her an angry stare and retorted, "I certainly do not!"_

* * *

Chapter 1

She stepped into the campus ground, her heart shuddering inside her chest. Gulping nervously, she held her head higher and walked on, stealing glances of the talkative and smiling people around her. She quickly took long and wide steps, carrying her across the grass field in an amazing speed for someone short as her. Her eyes frenzied over signs. The top most sign read, only to have her arching eyebrow left. She let out a deep sigh. Taking out the flimsy campus map, she fingered all over the paper. A moment of silence rang through her head before she gave out a frustrated sigh. Wearily looking around, she cautiously went up to a girl walking toward her direction.

"Um, excuse me, sorry. Could you tell me where the dormitory A building is? Sorry."

The girl smiled, "No no, it's ok. The dormitory A building is over there. Just go straight ahead, and there will be a big square with a fountain in the middle. Take a left turn and there will be a sign to dormitory A. Just follow the sign and you will be there."

"Oh, thank you. Thanks."

The petite girl took quick steps and soon slowed down with a sigh of relief. She clasped her thumping heart. Putting on a weak smile, she hurried her way down the sidewalk. She passed by the giant trees that towered over her. Licking her lips nervously, she went under a big archway and entered into the round square. The white stone with tint of grey from age lay across the clean area. Beneath her feet, dark stones colored to read "University of Burgess". A big simple fountain was at the center. Several students were sitting on the ledge, causally conversing. Looking to her left, she moved her.

* * *

"Room number 401...402…403…404!"

Shuffling through her pockets, she took out a key and turned into the doorknob. She gently pushed the door open and dragged her bag behind her.

"Ah, this is perfect."

She marveled at her room. It was single bedroom with only the necessities. Across the door was a small section designed for kitchen. The bathroom was on the left of the kitchen. On the left wall, an open window let in the fresh autumn breeze. A desk was beneath the window with one lonely bookshelf standing beside. There was a single bed pushed against the far left bottom wall. A closet was placed beside the bed. Beside the door was a small drawer for putting in shoes.

With a smile, she took off her shoes and dragged rest of her luggage into the center of the room. She took out her books and started to organize them neatly into the bookshelf.

* * *

"Ugh…"

She looked at the crowded hallway with despair. Grabbing tightly to her backpack, she took a step through the glass doorways. She pushed her way into the crowd, squeaking out "excuse me" every time she unintentionally hit someone or stepped on their shoes. She reached out to the door in front of her, latching her grasp onto it and pulled herself away from the mass. Giving a silent sigh, she pushed into the door and into the room.

The room was not a big lecture hall. Those were at the end of the hallway and that explains why the hallway was squirming with people. It was a moderate sized room with five or six rows of desk and a board in front of the room. One podium stood at the side of the board and a desk at the side of the podium. A window on the left front of the room let in the warm sun rays into the cozy room. There were already few students in the room, taking seats in the front row and talking to each other. Scanning the room, she took a seat in the corner near the door.

She looked over to the other side of the room and saw a boy sitting in the opposite corner. He was rather short and plump. His skin was only slightly tanned that it still revealing the pale and plush skin underneath. His sandy blonde hair strutted out and ruffled into careless streaks, glittering golden despite the lack of light in the corner. His eyes were golden brown and seemed to droop a little in tiredness. His nose and ears were pudgy in an adorable way. The golden-yellow turtleneck shirt with caramel colored pants finished him.

He stared back at her for a moment, and she quickly turned her eyes away, adverting to the window. The boy frowned and cocked his head. Giving a shrug, he followed the same suit, looking out at the window. As minutes came closer to class starting time, more students filled in the empty seats. The room exponentially became loud. Groaning, she stuck her earphones into both ears. Fiddling with the player to increase the volume, she leaned her head against the wall. She closed her eyes and drowned into the music flowing into her head.

Her eyes slowly opened when she felt the cool air brush against her neck from behind. Swiftly walking through the desks, a tall man completely in black attire strode with his long legs. Swirling around the podium, he placed his black suitcase on top. Her eyes scanned the man. He was tall and lean. He was pale with unnatural tint of grey. His glossy black hair fashioned to the back into spikes, giving him professional and neat yet casual look. His eyebrows were very faint that it seemed not to exist when looked in the distance. His eyes were alluring but cold golden with grey hue at the edge. His sharp pointed nose accented his high cheekbones and long slim face. He wore crisp black suit jacket over black button down shirt with black necktie. His black pants slimed down to his black shoes. A black overcoat hung over his right arm. The black and greyish white contrast made him look like a ghost, blending in with the tenuous air and the shadows.

The pursed thin lips gave way into a meek smile. A velvet soft voice spiced with English accent rolled off his delicate tongue, "Sorry for arriving late, ladies and gentlemen."

* * *

Alright, so how was it? Please leave a comment. One word would be fine. How this story came to be (if anyone is interested), well... I was just reading these other AU fanfictions and I thought AU can be exactly pretty good. And then I remembered about Scarecrow from the movie Batman Begins I just rewatched and I started to make these connections between Pitch and Scarecrow. I thought, hey that's pretty cool, and so here it is. A story started from just a random idea. Honestly, because I just started from this little connection between Pitch and Scarecrow, I only made the basic outline for the characters, not the story. So, I have absolutely no idea how this story will take place. If you have specific way you want this story to go, please leave a comment or a message. And I will introduce the main girl character that is only refered to as "she" in this chapter more in the next chapter. Until then, adios~!


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter two! Enjoy! :D

Special thanks to Fey Beauty and Nausicaa of the Spirits! And of course, the other readers.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians and the picture of Dr. Crane

* * *

Chapter 2

The girls visibly swooned over him. Some of the boys feigned their reactions with exaggerated comedy. Whether he noticed it or not, he smiled a charming grin, also visibly discomforting the boys as the person they have seen for the first time quickly rose up as their rival. The only two that seemed indifferent to the man were the golden boy and the girl. Perhaps curious is the better term for the boy, but the girl looked indeed passive, almost bored. The man quickly scanned the room before taking out the attendance list. Putting on his black rimmed glasses, he peered at the list called out, "John Allen." His sweet voice flew into the tenuous air again.

The boy grudgingly held up his hand.

The man smiled, "Is something the matter, Mr. Allen?"

Taken off guard, the boy quickly shook his head and answered no.

The man sweetly grinned, "Well, I definitely hope not since this class is going to last for a year or so."

A girl from the front row piped in, "Oh, there's no problem. Everything is going to be fine." All the girls, with one exception, gave a cheeky laugh.

The man slightly shook his head in amusement and went on with the roll call. Most of the girls fluttered their eyes and flourished their hands up with a husky "here" when their names were called. The man replied politely with a simple nod to their futile attempt.

"Sanderson Mansnoozie."

The blond boy raised his puny had up, but unfortunately a bulk sat in front of him, completely covering him.

"Sanderson Mansnoozie?"

The boy opened his mouth into a tiny circle and his eyebrows furrowed. No sound escaped. The girl warily watched him, scrutinizing behind her sharp black eyes. Another student beside the boy glanced at the little guy and spoke out loud, "He's here."

The man looked up and with a quizzical look asked, "May I see who you are Mr. Mansnoozie?"

The boy pouted and tapped the bulk in front of him. The bulk looked back and saw the tiny boy. The bulk blinked and comprehended the situation. He stood up and went out to the aisle, fully revealing Sanderson. The man in front asked with a gentle smile, "Mr. Mansnoozie?"

Sanderson beamed and nodded. Everyone laughed pleasantly at the adorable boy. The man's eyes shined for a moment and he quickly looked down at the paper with a frown before focusing his attention at Sanderson again.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mansnoozie. Pardon my mistake. I was not fully aware of your conditions. Perhaps you would like to seat in the front row next time?"

Sanderson cocked his head and formed his mouth into a small "o". He nodded and sat back down. The man gave an approving look and resumed to call out the list.

"Sasha Rutherford."

"Here, professor."

"Thank you. Devin Scarheart."

She raised her bony hand silently. Her black hair with a tint of brown under light was tied into a pony tail. Her eyes were black and slit with cold sharpness. Her face was gaunt and lips cracked. She was small and frail for her age. The yellowish white skin seemed out of order. The black hoodie with white collared polo shirt made her look like a faded photo.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

Brushing her slanted bang aside, she answered in a soft but audible voice, "Korea," without any accent.

He smiled, "Pleasure."

Devin gave him a rusty smile and quick nod.

A girl from the front row whispered, "How come she doesn't have these weird Asian last names?" The girl beside shrugged. He peered over at Devin. She looked at the two girls in straight composure with cold contempt in her straight eyes. His mouth imperceptibly twitched for a second before it became straight again. He proceeded with the roll call.

* * *

When the roll call was finished, which was not that long after Devin for there are only twenty or so students in the classroom, he placed the paper on the desk. The men walked to the board and wrote in thin elegant letters _Kozmotis Pitchiner_.

"Now with roll call finished, I believe it's time to introduce myself properly. I am Kozmotis Pitchiner. Though, I would prefer that you do not call me by my first name until the end of year. As you can already guess from accent, I am from London. This is my first time coming to the states, so I will try my best to accommodate you by speaking American accent."

"Oh, your accent is completely fin, Mr. Pitchiner." A girl fluttered her eyelashes.

He chuckled, "If that is the case, I will save myself from some trouble then. Further on, this year is my first year in University of Burgess, so I look forward to spend my time with you."

"I look forward to spend my time with you too. _Privately_."

The girls, except Devin, giggled. Some guys followed the girls' giggles, smirking. Rest of the guys and Devin groaned out loud. Mr. Pitchiner good-naturedly waved with a smile.

"Moving on. Our lesson–"

"How old are you?"

His invisible eyebrow arched and he replied with soft cautious voice, "I'm afraid I'm far too much older than any of you in here."

"You don't look _that_ old. Have you seen Mr. Ombric in the engineering department?"

"No, but I'm sure he is a pleasant man."

"He's probably the oldest person in this entire campus. So, how old are you?"

"I am thirty."

"Thirty?! You're only like six years older than us! Are you married?"

"No, I am a bachelor."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Perhaps we should focus–"

"Are you gay?"

Laughter broke out at the random question. Mr. Pitchiner had a startled expression. He blinked and composed himself.

He casted his eyes down as he straightened his jacket in silence. When his eyes returned up, his golden eyes pierced even the stone marble wall.

His face straightened into stern coldness. The air around him turned icy as Siberia. The students looked up with a silent gulp. His voice was low and dangerously soft, "I can see that I may feel like a friend, but I do hope we keep things in order." His immediately softened and lit up with a sweet bright smile. The air lightened and the one by one, smile returned to the student's face. That is except for Devin, who was watching the entire with interest without faltering for one second. Mr. Pitchiner continued, "But to answer your question nonetheless. No, I do not have a girlfriend and I do not believe I am gay. I have never felt attracted to a man in a certain way."

"That's too bad. I was hoping we could get hooked up." a boy grinned with mischief.

Mr. Pitchiner laughed, "I'm sure several people would find you attractive without me being on the list." Clasping his hands together, he said, "Now, to finally move on with our lessons." He pulled out the class guidelines and schedule from his suitcase and handed them out. "We will be using the textbook I listed, but most of the classes will be discussions. Therefore, it is crucial that you read the assigned chapters before you come to class. If you have any questions regarding the chapters, always feel free to ask via email or you can simply come to me during my office hours."

He stood in front of the podium. With his hands behind his back, he scanned the room. With much softer and calm voice, he whispered, "We are learning about psychology. It is about the human mind and how it functions. But the human mind is a delicate concept with myriad of grey areas, it is extremely difficult to define what is what, how such things become that. Sadly, people expect us to do that, which is near impossible. It is our job to diagnose the problem as closest as possible and further research into the basic human instincts and insanity." Devin frowned. Before she could even figure out why she even frowned, he smiled brightly and covered up any evidence. "This makes psychology look mysterious and alluring."

Devin was mindlessly scratching on her paper, lost in confusion, when a paper ball hit her. She looked at it and the ball away at the trash bin next to her. Another one followed, and she looked around for the culprit. Sanderson smiled at her with another paper on his hand. She grabbed the ball, looked at him again, and threw it away. Turning back to her desk with frustration, another ball hit her. She hot a look at him. He crumpled he paper in his hands and opened them up again. He pointed at her paper ball. She looked at it and there was a scratch on the side, "Open it". With a sigh, she flattened the crumpled paper. It read, "How come your last name isn't Asian?" She glanced back at him and saw his wide golden eyes filled with curiosity. She scribbled on the paper and carelessly tossed it back at him. He deftly caught it despite the clumsy throw. He opened and his shoulders shook. He smiled back at her, only to find she wasn't even look at him.

The bell rang. Mr. Pitchiner quickly added, "For tomorrow, please read chapter one. Before you read the chapter, define psychology and in your own words. We will discuss them in class."

The students rose up from their seats. The girls gave a fluttering good-bye to their professor, who in turn smiled and waved in good manner. Devin was packing her bag when a neatly folded paper was placed right in front of her by a tanned tiny hand. She looked up and saw Sanderson smiling brightly. She opened the paper while stealing glances at him. The note read:

Sanderson: How come your last name isn't Asian?

Devin:_ For someone with blunt nose, you're quite nosy._

Sanderson: Hahaha! I do have blunt nose, but how can I help it when you make me so curious?

She frowned and looked up to find no one.

* * *

Alrighto! That's chapter 2! I hope you liked it! Please leave a comment; I love to hear about what other people think about my story!

Oh, I saw like two people from Korea reading this story. 안녕하세요~! Yes, I am Korean, or I wouldn't have made my main character Korean. (just kidding hahaha)


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry I'm so late! Here it is chapter 3!

* * *

Chapter 3

She stood up and pushed in the chair. She put the straps on her shoulder and turned to walk out when the smooth voice stopped her.

"A love letter, Miss. Scarheart?"

She turned around and saw Mr. Pitchiner staring right at her with a teasing smile. Surprisingly, there were no girls around flocking around him; just him and her alone. She looked around the room quickly before answering him with firm "No."

His smile faltered, "Oh, please do excuse me," Then his teasing smile returned, "I thought Mr. Sanderson had interest in you. After all, there is something about you that makes a person quite curious about you." Her eyes quickly shifted to the paper in her hands. His eyes went wide and he cocked his head to the side slightly. He apologized, "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Am I being too nosy?" But, his teasing smile was still plastered on his face.

She crumpled the paper and tossed it in the trash bin. With a smirk, she replied, "No," and walked out of the room. Her smirk immediately fell into a straight line as she turned around. She frowned and silently went her way. In the room, he quietly laughed as he looked the door.

* * *

"Isn't he hot?"

Devin scanned the room as she entered. The seats have been turned into a wide half-circle. The girls were already there, sitting next to each other and jabbering away at the oh-handsome-English-gentleman Mr. Pitchiner. Devin rolled her eyes and clicked on the volume on her mp3 player. The music droned out the noise. She carefully eyed the chairs and sat in the one that was 2 seats away from the girls but near the door. She was about to close her eyes to drown herself into the music when a certain golden boy walked purposefully and plopped down next to her. He stared right at her. She visibly flinched. She scooted herself away from him. He smiled and took out a notepad and pen. He scribbled and passed the notepad to her. She delicately took the notepad and pen with her eyebrows arched. He wrote:

Why do you hate me?

She sighed and scribbled:

I don't hate you_._

Sanderson: Really?

Devin: Yes.

Sanderson: Then why are you so cold to me?

Devin: I'm shy. I don't really talk to people...

Sanderson: That doesn't mean you have to be mean to people who talk to you.

Devin: I am sorry if I was rude.

Sanderson: It's ok (big smiley face :D)

Devin glanced at him and their eyes met. He gave her a pleasing heart-warming smile.

Devin: Thanks.

Sanderson: You're welcome. Do you have class after this?

Devin: Why do you ask?

Sanderson: Just cause. We're friends now.

Devin: No, I don't have class.

Sanderson: Great! I want to show you my friends!

Devin's eyes went wide. She tried to scribble something down when Mr. Pitchiner entered the room.

"Good evening everyone! I certainly hope everyone read the chapter I assigned, yes?"

The girls' eyes sparkled and shined. They immediately went into the same proper position: straight back, their miniskirts tucked in, and high heels placed on the floor. The same type of smile plastered on each of their face, whispering out to catch his attention. Their effort was futile. He went right passed them to his desk. They looked at each other with plaintive disappointment on their face. Their eyes followed the dark men as he went back to the middle of the room. He handed the papers to Sanderson and told him to pass it around. Before he turned around, his eyes met with Devin's. She quickly turned hers away and only focused on the paper.

"Well then, let's talk about psychology, shall we?"

With his hands behind his back, he eyed each students with weary eyes. "Now, let's be honest now. Who actually read the chapter?" He raised one hand.

Most of the students held up their hands, except for few boys. One girl wiggled her hand with a bright proud smile, shining her white teeth. Devin and Sanderson also both raised their hands. Devin rolled her eyes and looked at the ground with uninterested look.

"Well well, I guess my first lesson is quite a success then. Except that we have few dishonest students here. Mr. Allen?"

The boy looked up and with a loopy smile, he said coolly "Yeah?"

"It's written all over you that you obviously haven't read the chapter. Please, put your hands down."

"What? But I did!"

Mr. Pitchiner faced him directly. Putting his fingers on his chin, he began casually, "No you haven't Mr. Allen. Would you like to play a little game then perhaps?"

The entire class stared at their teacher with his calm cool expression. His lips were gently curved upward and his eyes shined with expectation.

The boy, aware of the sudden change of mood, smiled and challenged, "What kind of game?"

"A simple game."

"Sure. How do you play it?"

"Question and answer."

"Alright. What's it gonna be?"

"No no no. I'm the one asking the questions Mr. Allen."

"Okay... Then ask."

"Did you read the chapter?"

"Yeah I did."

"You did?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Absolutely positively sure you did?"

"Yeah, I did!"

Mr. Pitchiner gave a coy smile."Did you read the chapter?"

"Look, I ain't a criminal ya know. Why are you asking me like if I broke a law or something?"

"Frustrated?"

"W-what?"

"No, it's more like annoyed. Or should I say nervous?"

"Me?"

"I'm the one asking the questions here Mr. Allen. Can't you even follow a simple rule?"

"What?"

He smirked calmly, "It's obvious that you haven't read the chapter. The firm stance on your feet, the straightened back, your hands inside the pocket, most likely to be fidgeting right now as you can see from the small movement. You are being repetitive with your questions. Obviously, you are flustered."

Leaning slightly forward, he asked with a sweet smile, "What are you so nervous for Mr. Allen?"

The boy looked at him with gaped mouth. Licking his dry lips, his hoarse voice whispered, "All right. You got me. I didn't read it."

The room filled with whispers, both astounded and scared. Sanderson looked thrilled, but he also shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Devin kept her eyes focused on the dark man, her expression stoic. His smile faltered for a split second when he saw her calculative eyes, but she noticed his faltered smile. She returned with a small smile, but her eyes remained the same.

* * *

I don't know a lot about psychology and behavior, so if some of the information from the "game" is incorrect, just kindly leave m a review so that I won't make the same mistake next time :)

Feeling the suspense? Just kidding, but I hope you do because I did set the story to being suspense hm... Well thank you for the wonderful reviews!:D Darthcat, really thank you for reading my story and I'm really sorry I couldn't write a sequel to Remiscence and Reunion. I wanted to leave the readers think for themselves what would happen with Pitch and his daugther. I'll try to upload the next chapter quicker!


	4. Chapter 4

HI! I'm so sorry that the chapter was updated late! It's actually short compared to how long it has been the since last update, but I promise to make up for it!... I hope :(

* * *

Chapter 4

The bell rang and the students naturally rose up from their seats. Devin casually started to walk out of the classroom when she felt a tug at her hood. She turned around and saw the flustered face of Sanderson. She looked at him with an eyebrow raised and cautiously murmured, "Is there something you want?"

He quickly nodded and pointed at her bag. With confused look, she slid the bag from her shoulders and handed it to him. He thrust his hands into the bag and swam around, disturbing the orderly neatness. His hands only came out when there was a notepad and a pen in his hand.

He scribbled quickly, but his usual flowing neatness remained: My friends!

She arched her eyebrows and spoke slowly, "What about your friends?"

He closed his eyes as his flushed cheek puffed out. Opening his eyes, he smiled and grabbed her wrist. She was pulled through the corridor before she was even able to comprehend what was exactly happening. People whizzed past them when her brain finally buzzed into action. A small ding rang as she remembered the previous conversation she had with him, the horror seeped into her eyes. She skidded into a halt and he was jerked back, stumbling on his own feet. He looked back at her with curious eyes. She opened her mouth, but found no words coming out. She closed it and coughed dryly. Licking her lips, she found the ground suddenly fascinating. She barely opened her mouth when she whispered, "I'm kind of scared."

His eyebrows arched and he leaned in closer to her. His hand rolled forward, gesturing for her to repeat. She licked her lips again and muttered, "Can't I just, you know, _not_ meet them?"

He smiled as he leaned back. He took her hand and gave a comforting pat. He gave her his warm smile and her shoulders visibly relaxed, sagging in a slow deliberate smooth motion. He slowly reached for her bag when a brilliant voice rang, "SANDY!"

Sanderson turned back and waved, smiling. Group of four people bounced their way through the big campus green lawn. Each had unique characteristics, differing from the crowd and between themselves. She looked at Sanderson and slowly examined the group approaching her. Even though Sanderson was not bigger than her, she crept behind him and avoided looking at the group once they were close.

"SANDY! HOW YOU'VE BEEN? IT SEEMS LIKE FOREVER SINCE I SAW YOU!" A girl with vibrant colorful clothes exclaimed with big wide eyes.

Sanderson laughed good-naturedly, but no sound came out of his merry vocal chords.

"You've just seen him two days ago." A tall boy grumbled.

"I KNOW! THAT'S FOREVER!"

The girl hugged and lifted Sanderson off his tiny feet. The tall boy shook his head, but he was smiling and gave a pat on Sanderson's head. The other two boys laughed. One boy, lean and average height with clear blue eyes, finally noticed Devin fidgeting with her feet.

"Hello." He waved.

Devin kept on looking at the ground, not noticing the friendly invitation.

He poked Sanderson and whispered to him, "Do you know the girl behind you?"

Sanderson's eyes went wide, even though one eye was squished by the girl's tight hug. He gently pulled away from the girl's hug and landed lightly on his feet. He faced Devin and tugged at her hoodie sleeves. Devin looked up with eyes wide and startled, almost like a deer in the headlight Sanderson smiled and gestured towards his friends. His friends looked at Devin with friendly smiles.

"Isz szhe yourr new frriendt?" The boy asked with thick Russian accent. He was tall and hugely built; shoulders wide, thick muscled arms and legs, heavy torso. He had large shining blue eyes with thick dark eyebrows. His hair and the faint hint of beard were white. He wore beanie and a red coat with upper half black. Inside the open red coat was a block red shirt. The dark brown pants and rather muddy red and black sneakers finished him.

Sanderson nodded. The boy stepped forward and put out his hand, "I'm Nicholaz Norzth. Juzst call me Nick. Whaz yourr name?"

"Devin. Devin Scarheart." Her cautious hands delicately grabbed the boy's big hand. He gripped her hands firmly and shook with big motion. He smiled, "Welcome!"

Her frail arm went up and down like a rollercoaster. Once he released his grip, her arm went limp by her hand. Taking a small step back, she smiled and mumbled, "Thank you," while putting her hands behind the back in the most natural way.

"You big gummby, you hurt her." The tall lean boy grumbled beside him, rolling his luminescent green eyes with arching darker brown eyebrows. He had grayish brown hair that tussled in a natural yet wild way with a grey and black headband to go along. He wore a white button down shirt, even though there was really no point in it since the shirt was open to show another white shirt underneath. A shoulder band went across his chest to a black tube in the back. He wore a causal ripped and paint splatter jeans.

"Sorry if he scared ya. He does that without knowing it. I'm Aster Mund, by the way." He gave her a grin, which she returned with an understanding nod.

"You're not the kind that talks, huh?" The boy who waved at her first smirked. He had white hair, but few strands were brown, making his hair look like a whipping cream sprinkled with cocoa powder. His eyes were also blue and huge. His skin was whiter than the others, making him look almost cold and frozen, but the lively eyes and playful dark eyebrows proved he was more than just alive. He wore a blue hoodie and skinny brown pants that clung to his thin legs.

She smiled timidly and shook her head.

Then, the girl said sternly, "_Jackson Overland_, that's no way to talk to a girl who just met!"

Jack turned to her and refuted, "You know how much I hate being called my full name!"

She turned back to Devin, "Don't mind him. He's a really nice kid. Je just sometimes says things he doesn't really mean it." She cocked her head and stared intently at Devin. Devin shrank slightly with a blush creeping on her face. The girl squealed, "OH MY GOD, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!" and hugged Devin tightly, as she did with Sandy.

The girl was perhaps the most exotic, considering the group itself was quite different. She had dark brown hair that glistened in the sun tied back into a pony tail with a yellow band. Her light purple eyes matched with her rosy cheeks and tinkering gold earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. Her clothes were perhaps the most unusual. The flowing shirt was green gradually turning into blue as it went lower. She wore a pink vest with a blue belt over it. The skirt was a light blue that flew gracefully with the wind as if they were in a waltz.

Devin's eyes went wide and she squeaked at the sudden tight hug. The girl released her and looked at Devin. "Oh, I'm sorry if I scared you Devin." Devin shook her head and smiled back. She asked in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name." The girl's pleasant laugh chortled through the air, "Tina Thiana's the full name. Just call me Tina."

Tina turned to Sanderson and asked, "So, ready to start the party for our new friend Devin?" Sanderson nodded exultantly and the others gave a wide grin. Devin looked at the reaction nervously and stuttered, "Um, if you don't mind me asking, what is this 'party'? I mean, as you can see, I'm not much of a party person and-"

Tina grabbed Devin's arm and pulled her. She stumbled forward before catching her balance again. Everyone started to walk and she had no choice but to walk, not that she could get Tina's grip on her arm loose. Tina smiled at Devin and giggled, "Don't' worry! It'll be fun! Just us getting to know each other and all the other fun stuffs."

Devin asked, "Fun stuffs?"

Tina looked at Devin with mischievous grin "You'll see."

Devin inwardly groaned as Tina pulled her closer into the line. The six students walked across the lawn, their laughter radiating with happiness.

* * *

Soooooo how were the characters? I tried doing North's russian accent, but it's hard wah! I also tried to make Tooth (Tina in this story) her usual bubbly character, but she kinda looks high now that I re-read it... Hm... I dunno. I won't change it because it would ruin her personality. Most of the descriptions for the characters were from the fan art by Kairi Mossman called Humanized High School. It's in the Rise of the Guardians Facebook page fanart contest entries. Look it up if your interested.

So, anyway, to wrap it up, thanx for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter! (Yes, I know this isn't TV, but you get what I mean)


	5. Chapter 5

I'm sorry that I was so late. I'm finally finished with AP now, so I can update more! Thank you for those they have waited for me!

* * *

Chapter 5

The six students went to a restaurant that was already bustling with crowds. Tina, Jack, Nick, Aster, and Sandy leaned back to the comfy chairs and laughed out loud, their voices ringing with rest of the noise exploding in the enclosed space. Devin leaned on the table with her arms crossed; her back erect and her feet were firmly planted on the ground. She smiled and burst into laughter occasionally, mirth shining in her black eyes. The large set of food arrived and, especially North, Jack, and Aster, dug in.

"So," Devin slowly started, "are you all in Burgess or some other school?"

Tina quickly gulped down her food and chattered enthusiastically, "Yeah, we're all Burgess except for Jack. He's a pro gamer. He went to college, but didn't go on with the studying. Not really his thing you know. I'm studying dentistry. Aster is in the art department, North is majoring in engineering and Sandy, well you know what he's in."

Devin looked at Aster and with wide arched eyebrows, she asked, "You're an artist?"

Aster rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Yeah, many people think it doesn't match me."

Devin shook her head and beamed, "No! I think it's awesome! I would love to have an artist as my friend."

Aster looked sheepishly at her with a slight blush and nodded, "Thanks." Sandy beamed brightly as his eyes traveled back and forth from his old buddy to his more recent friend.

"What got you into arts?"

"Well," he cocked his head, "I can't exactly say one thing. Sometimes it's hard to say what really got ya into a thing, ya know? I guess I really liked the look of the small kiddos when I drew them something. It's like they got everything in the world. Just hope and freshness in their eyes, it's really something worth looking at."

Devin smiled softly and nodded her head understandingly. All set of the eyes on the table looked at Aster and he looked back at them with bewildered embarrassed eyes. He put his hands in front and shook them wildly. "Hey, don't look-"

"AW! THAT IS ADORABLE ASTER!" Tina squealed with delight.

Aster frowned and crossed his arms. With a puff, he retorted, "I am NOT cute. And besides, it's not like if I am the only one that has so-called adorable reasons. Here, Nick, this big fat burly guy decided to become an engineer so that he can create toys for children."

Nick snapped his eyes at Aster and spat out, "Big, fhat burly guy? It'z called muzcular! And it's not juzt toiz, you already graying haired old boy! I'm going to make somezing, somezing big! Big az the czhildren's big eyez filled wiz wonder! You donz't know true arz!"

"Oh yeah?" retorted Aster, "Well, excuse me buddy, but I believe I'm majoring _in_ art! Not some random engineering!"

Tina shook her head. She leaned over to Devin and whispered, "Don't' worry about them. They always get into these fights. They don't even remember half of them."

Devin slowly nodded, her eyes watching the heated argument between Nick and Aster. Then, she focused her attention to Tina. "What about you? Why dentistry?"

Tina put her head on her hand while the other hand playfully picked at the food. "Well, like Aster said, I don't really know the exact motivation I have for dentistry. I have always just been fascinated with teeth. You know, when you were young, they tell you stories about the tooth fairy. Also, isn't it just great that for each tooth you actually have different memories?"

"Different memories?"

"Yeah! Like, each tooth came out with each own unique way! Maybe your mother pulled it, or you attached it to a door and did the traditional slam-bang and whoop! Or, the tooth could have fallen out accidentally, like you were chewing gum or a really hard candy. I just find it really interesting."

"In a way, it's the concept of childhood memory being stored in a tooth."

Tina nodded enthusiastically. Devin laughed, "You're weird."

Tina frowned and pouted, "No I'm not! I bet you there is only me in the world that can think of such creative idea!"

Devin teased, "Which is exactly why you're weird," and smirked. She turned to Jack. "So, you're a pro-gamer?"

"Yup," said Jack with rather proud look on his face.

"Did your parents say anything when you changed your, well, job I guess?"

Jack gave a deep sigh, "At first, yeah, they tried to stop me. They wanted me to do business, saying that games don't pay your taxes and all. But, after being forced to study it, it just became clearer business is not for me. I wanted to have fun." A smile slowly crept on his face. "Live to the fullest. Carpe diem, seize the day! Be able to wake up each morning with a smile, not knowing what to come but still excited. And I wanted to share the fun with others. So, I became a pro-gamer. People can see me play games and have some of their stress be relieved."

"What about you, Sandy?"

Sandy looked at Devin and smiled. He made some movements with his hands to Jack and Jack nodded. He turned to Devin and replied, "He said he wants to see people laugh."

Devin nodded. "Looks like all of you have clear motivation for your path."

Jack's eyebrow furrowed, "You don't?"

Devin smiled, "I do."

"Then, why do you sound off?"

"Did I? Well, it wasn't intentional," and she laughed with an airy gesture of her hand, shaking off any heavy mood. Tina, Sandy, and Jack laughed along with Nick and Aster still in their heated argument.

* * *

The door to the dorm closed. Hardened cold black eyes scanned the dark room. Slow and deliberate steps walked to the desk. Soft snap and the light from the lamp flooded on the dark wooden desk. A clean black notebook opened to a clean white page. Another snap and the pen scratched against the paper.

_Rather interesting characters, the five of them. It's no wonder they're often the bathed in lime light of the campus. Such hope, such wonder. Where do they get it from? Earning joy from even the most trivial and incompetent things. Or rather, they are yearning for it. Grabbing at the faintest sight of a wisp. Such simple creatures. _

A grin flashed.

* * *

I hope that story would pick up from now on, because it's really Devin and Pitch that's interesting to write, not the other characters (no offense to them). Thank you for reading, and I will update the next chapter soon as I can. Love you :D


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

She trudged heavily into the classroom and plopped down on her seat in the corner. Her tired eyes blinked languidly, staring at the opposite wall with vacant gaze. Sanderson's face popped in front of her. Her eyes slowly shifted to him. He waved his hands in front of her. She weakly slapped his hands away and mumbled, "Leave me alone."

He frowned and scribbled, "What's wrong?"

She wearily looked at the words and muttered, "I had to write a report for my history class. Spent the whole night awake, writing that damn paper. Now leave me alone. I want to catch some sleep before class."

She thumbed her mp3 player, zoning off into her own world. Sanderson looked at her with a sigh. He folded his arms on the desk and put his head on it, rolling his eyes with boredom.

She snapped her eyes open when she felt someone pull the earphone out. Mr. Pitchiner looked down at her and smiled, "Feeling tired miss?" He toyed with her earphone in his finger and scoffed, "Though I wouldn't recommend listening to music when the class started." Students in the room looked at her and snickered. She stared coldly back at him and tugged her earphone loose from his grip. A tint of red colored her cheek despite the effort of trying to be calm. He went back to the front of the room. "I presume you are Devin Scarheart, yes?"

She meekly replied yes while putting her player into her backpack.

"Excuse me, I couldn't quite hear you."

"_Yes_," she seethed through her gritted teeth, and then added quietly, "that's me."

"Thank you, Miss Scarheart." His smooth velvet voice rolled off his tongue. She slightly cocked her head to the side and looked up. She scrutinized Mr. Pitchiner with an arched eyebrow. He noticed her stare and quirked a smile. She gave him a small smile while her canny gaze examined him.

He looked at the class and said, "So, today, you will know what we will discuss if you have done your homework and read the chapter," he said with a cheerful voice.

* * *

"That was so embarrassing."

Sandy laughed and poked her on the side. He swiftly wrote, _Stop grumbling_.

"Well, the least you could have done was to wake me up before the professor himself woke me up! But what were you doing? Oh I don't know, probably enjoying the scenery out the window and just ignore the tall dark British guy coming next to you. Such helpful friend you are."

_But how can a gentleman like me disturb a princess in her sleep?_

She swatted his hands and tore the paper. He chuckled at her. She grumbled, "You ain't being too much of a gentleman to call me by something I hate."

Their eyes scanned the loud cafeteria as they waited for their friends to come. From the other side, a tall bulky figure came in and caught their eyes. They waved to him and he waved back. He turned around and talked to another figure, a much older figure. Both of them came up to their table.

"Sandy! Devin! Glad to zee you! Meet my profezzor, Dr. Ombric! Well, actually, hiz name iz Ombric Shalazar, but he dozn't want people to call him by his lazt name. "

The old man in clean light blue suit with a cane and respectable hat smiled at them. His wrinkled hands grabbed Sandy's hands and shook it warmly. Sandy beamed at the warm old man. The bushy white eyebrows and white beard crinkled into graceful smile. The brilliant grey eyes sparkled beneath the eyebrows. He then took Devin's hands and shook them. She smiled somewhat hesitantly.

"It is so good to see you all! Nick is my favorite student you see. You can just say he is my son!" His cheerful and sophisticated soft voice spoke. "He can get a bit too adventurous and stubborn sometimes, but I digress. He's a wonderful and passionate young boy!"

Sandy nudged Nick with a smile. Nick slightly blushed at the compliments. Devin smiled and nodded.

"I wasn't able to catch your name the first time. This old brain is collapsing into itself again. If you don't mind, please do this old man a favor and introduce yourself."

Devin smiled warmly. "My name is Devin Scarheart. And this is Sanderson Mansnoozie. We call him Sandy for short. I'm afraid he has a bit of trouble speaking."

"Oh dear," his eyebrows wrinkled into concern, "is it serious?"

Devin traded looks with Nick and Sandy. Sandy merely shrugged and looked at Nick. Nick dry coughed and cautiously spoke, "Sandy lozt hiz voiz when he waz young. A nail impaled hiz throat. He got a surgery, but hiz vocal cord…well…they were lozt forever."

Ombric took Sandy's hand and patted them, "I'm very sorry to hear that Sandy."

Sandy shrugged nonchalantly and smiled at Ombric. Ombric softly smiled at Sandy.

"You have a very brave boy here Nick."

Nick laughed, "Sandy might be zmall, but he iz a fighter."

Ombric looked at Devin and asked, "So Devin, what are you studying?"

Devin gestured to herself and Sandy, "We both study psychology."

"Ah," he nodded in satisfied way, "Psychology, eh? That's a tricky department there, but very fascinating indeed. Who is your professor?"

"Mr. Pitchiner."

He faltered for a second and slowly nodded. "He is the new professor, yes?"

"Yes, I believe he is, unless there are any other new professors I do not know about."

Ombric gave an amused smile at her quirky attitude. He gave a shaky laughter, "No, no there isn't. I taught in this university for more than 30 years." He put his hands on his chin and muttered, "I haven't had the chance to properly speak to him. Something about him is a bit edgy…" He saw Devin's confused look and hastily put his hand down. "Do tell me, how is he in class?"

"I do not mind him," she shrugged. "The fawning girls get into my nerves now and then, but he teaches fine. How about you, Sandy?" Sandy gave a thumbs-up.

"I see," Ombric spoke thoughtfully, "Well, he is the most anticipated professor. An excellent history of achievements he has. Earning a PhD is Oxford University and joining the British Psychological Society's Social Psychology and European Association of Social Psychology and other all sorts of academic organizations, do excuse me for I am not saying that I am uninterested of him but I am not specialized in psychology after all. Anyway, he accomplished all these feats at such a young age! I believe he also wrote a report on phobias and the human behavior that was critically acclaimed by numerous scientists. I don't have enough time to read his report sadly, but if I do have time I would love to talk to him. He seems like an interesting man."

Devin nodded and smiled, "He very much seems so."

* * *

I promised I would update sooner, but life gets in the way a lot and I am just starting to write stories afterall. Enough excuses. I'm sorry, but now that I have gained my new vigor, I will try to write faster. Thank you for reading and please review to help me with my mistakes! Thanks! :D


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